Treatments : Assisted hatching, Blastocyst culture and transfer........

Various other techniques exist for increasing the likelihood of a couple having a baby. These include:

Assisted hatching. Chemical methods and, the more accurate, laser assisted methods are used to weaken a shell which naturally exists around embryos to better enable them to break through it prior to implantation. One reason this technique may be needed is that the shell, or Zona Pellucida, can be made harder than it should be by the IVF process.

Blastocyst culture and transfer. This is a relatively new technique in IVF whereby the embryos are left to develop longer thus greatly improving the selection, and reducing the chances of multiple pregnancy. Instead of 2 to3 days, embryos are left to develop for 5 days in a special culture until they are at a stage of development known as a blastocyst. The chances of successful treatment are greatly improved by the use of blastocysts, and this could be a good option for women who have had an unsuccessful experience with normal IVF.

IVMTS. In Vitro Maturation of Testicular Sperm is a method of allowing sperm with poor or no ability to move, the chance to mature in a culture medium after extraction. This will improve their chances of developing motility and therefore their effectiveness.

Surgery. As well as surgery on males for sperm extraction, there are operations that can benefit women. One of these is using keyhole surgery techniques to unblock fallopian tubes.

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